


Do I Wanna Know

by NewWorldFool



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Compliant, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Lance (Voltron) Needs a Hug, Langst, M/M, Post Season 6, Post-Season/Series 06, keith is still like 19 here because ye, lance just needs someone to talk to about everything, nothing explicitly romantic but you can interpret it as such, the other paladins are mentioned but not really important
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-19
Updated: 2018-06-19
Packaged: 2019-05-25 17:18:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14981867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NewWorldFool/pseuds/NewWorldFool
Summary: "Something seemed… different with Lance ever since Keith had returned to the team. He seemed more tired. Subdued. Overall more withdrawn than he remembered. He certainly wasn't like this before he left, and it worried Keith a lot. What had happened while he was gone?Maybe it was a side effect of war. Or maybe he overworked himself. Whatever the case, Keith wanted to get to the bottom of it and help Lance out of whatever funk he had gotten himself into."--( Or the one post S6 fic where Lance talks to Keith about everything that happened while he was gone)





	Do I Wanna Know

**Author's Note:**

> A post-S6 fic because I really want them to talk?  
> Like Lance has been so isolated for the past few seasons, he really needs to get everything off his chest. I've never really written angst before, but I hope you guys enjoy.
> 
> // Obviously S6 spoilers
> 
> // Death mention because this does talk about how Lance died for a few mins in ep 1

Something seemed… different with Lance ever since Keith had returned to the team. He seemed more tired. Subdued. Overall more withdrawn than he remembered. He certainly wasn't like this before he left, and it worried Keith a lot. What had happened while he was gone?

 

Maybe it was a side effect of war. Or maybe he overworked himself. Whatever the case, Keith wanted to get to the bottom of it and help Lance out of whatever funk he had gotten himself into.

 

~ ~ ~

 

After days upon days of flying their lions, the team had to make a rest stop on Afdage, a peaceful planet that they had liberated awhile back, for the night and restock supplies. As everyone landed and did their part to set up camp for the time being, Keith made his way over to Lance to help him with setting up the tents.

 

“Hey” Keith gave in greeting. Good a place as ever to start his investigation.

 

“What’s up mullet head” Lance responded. It should have been light and teasing, but there was a slight drag in the tone. Almost like a diluted form of his usual self.

 

“I was going to ask you the same thing” he said. Right, start small and to the point.

 

The blue paladin tilted his head in slight confusion. “What do you mean?”

 

“You seemed--” Keith paused for a moment, searching for the right words, “--down. Like, not yourself. Did something happen while I was with the Blade?”

 

Lance’s eyes briefly widened, before his expression was schooled into something more neutral, playful almost. “Pfft, what are you talking about. I’m the same as I’ve always been. It’s you that’s changed man. I mean look at those new grizzled features and-”

 

Keith just cut him off with a pointed look, and Lance trialed off with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. He definitely didn’t believe him, but he also couldn’t force him to open up either. For now, he had to wait. “Ok, but if something comes up, talk to me Lance.” With that being said, their conversation drifted off to their usual comfortable banter until they finished with the tents and everyone came back together for dinner.

 

The team all gathered around the campfire, Hunk passing out food from the local environment. Keith was sat comfortably between his mom and Lance as everyone munched on their food. Stories were exchanged and laughs were had, but something still felt different about the dynamic of the team. Lance wasn’t cracking as many jokes as he used to and seemed quieter, even if it was only by a degree. Shiro noticed him staring at Lance from across the fire and raised an eyebrow, which Keith chose to ignore.

 

As everyone finished eating, they seemed to split off into their own little discussions. Pidge and Hunk talking about some sort of alien tech they found while in town, Coran Shiro and Allura discussing their next destination on their long journey to earth, and even Keith Krolia and Romelle talked about something he was only half paying attention to.

 

Suddenly, Lance got up from their little group and started walking towards the tents. “‘M going to bed” he mumbled, waving his hand once in goodbye before he disappeared from the light of the campfire.

 

Keith quirked an eyebrow and looked around the circle, but nobody else seemed to care that Lance had left. They just continued on like nothing had changed. “I think I’m going to hit the sack too. We have a lot of traveling to do” he said before following where Lance had gone in the dark.

 

When he got to the tents, he knocked on the wooden post of the one positioned in front of the Red Lion. “Hey Lance, are you in there?” he asked.

 

“Keith?” he heard in response, but it wasn’t from the tent. He looked up at Red to find that Lance was up there, sitting on her head. “Keith buddy, what are you doing here?”

 

“Looking for you” Keith shrugged in response as he began to climb up to Red’s head, where he sat down next to Lance. In the starlight, he looked even more tired than before. He had a dullness in his eyes and dark bags to match.

 

They just sat for a long time, neither daring to speak, before Keith broke the silence. “Are you sure you’re ok Lance?” he asked, his tone soft, almost afraid to scare him away again.

 

Lance looked ready to brush him off again before he paused. Maybe it was the dark, or maybe he was just so tired of acting, but his facade seemed to melt away under the moonlight. “Honestly? No” he admitted, fixing his gaze up at the sky. “I am so beyond not ok.”

 

Keith was taken aback by the bluntness of the blue paladin, but quickly composes himself. “What  _ happened _ Lance?” he asked quietly, placing a hand on the other’s back in what he hoped was a comforting touch.

 

“The better question is what  _ hasn’t _ happened” Lance gave a dry laugh. “So much has changed since you’ve left Keith. Pidge and Hunk started hanging out more without me. Allura and Coran were busy with coalition stuff. Shiro--” he paused for a moment, scratching the back of his head “-- or I guess clone Shiro, was acting so  _ weird.  _ He was so snappy at me specifically. I guess we know why now, but it still  _ hurt _ , you know? He was my hero, and him yelling at me made me feel so  _ bad _ ”

 

Keith gave a nod, awkwardly rubbing small circles into Lance’s back, encouraging him to continue.

 

“And  _ then _ , we started working with Lotor, who I  _ knew _ we couldn’t trust, but I seemed to be the only one. And he started getting really close to Allura, which made me uncomfortable because what if something happened to her? She blew me off all the time to be with him. I realized she would never like me the way I liked her at the time. I moved on, but I felt so below not only Lotor, but everyone. It hurt  _ so much _ .”

 

Lance’s voice was breaking, and Keith could see tears falling down his cheek. He wanted, no needed, to comfort him but he had no idea what to say. He didn’t have to apparently, as Lance kept going.

 

“That’s not even the worst of it. Pretty recently, we were on a mission to help repair the omega shield on one of the planets Lotor had control over. We all split up to fix it before the next radiation belt. Allura and I were repairing some of the fractures, when something went wrong.  _ Really _ wrong. Something happened, and I saw this purple energy shoot up from the fracture right at Allura. I didn’t have time to think. I rammed Red right into her to push her out of the way. B-but I--” Lance sobbed into his hands, a fresh cascade of tears rolling down his cheek.

 

“I  _ died _ Keith.”

 

Keith took an audible gasp.

 

“I _died_ , and _nobody_ _cared_. Nobody even brought it up. If Allura didn’t make it in time with her weird Altean m--” Lance was cut off by Keith, who had pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. He stiffened for a moment, before relaxing and sobbing into Keith’s shoulder, soaking his shirt through with the tears that wouldn’t stop coming.

 

“You’re alright now” Keith whispered into his ear. “She got to you, and you’re here. I  _ know _ they all care about you Lance. They probably don’t know how to approach it, but they  _ are _ glad you’re alive and here--” he paused for a moment, “-- _ I’m _ glad you’re alive and here”

 

They stayed like that for a long time. Lance crying into Keith’s embrace and Keith muttering reassurances of Lance’s place and worth. Eventually, they both fell asleep, curled around each other on top of Red’s head, feeling much better than they had before.

**Author's Note:**

> Did this break your heart, because I know it broke mine  
> Please leave comments and kudos if you enjoyed!!!


End file.
